What Do You Want to Know About Fitness & Exercise?Chances are that at least once a year you vow to commit to an exercise program. If you’ve had some trouble with the follow-through, you’re certainly in good company. Yet there are so many compelling reasons to make the commitment again and stick with it.

Starting or maintaining a regular exercise routine can be a challenge as you get older. You may feel discouraged by illness, ongoing health problems, or concerns about injuries or falls. Or, if you've never exercised before, you may not know where to begin. Or perhaps you think you're too old or frail, or that exercise is boring or simply not for you.

While these may seem like good reasons to slow down and take it easy as you age, they're actually even better reasons to get moving. Exercise can energize your mood, relieve stress, help you manage symptoms of illness and pain, and improve your overall sense of well-being. In fact, exercise is the key to staying strong, energetic, and healthy as you get older. And it can even be fun, too, especially if you find like-minded people to exercise with.

No matter your age or your current physical condition, you can benefit from exercise. Reaping the rewards of exercise doesn’t have to involve strenuous workouts or trips to the gym. It’s about adding more movement and activity to your life, even in small ways. Whether you are generally healthy or are managing an illness—even if you’re housebound—there are many easy ways to get your body moving and improve your health and outlook.

As you age, regular exercise is more important than ever to your overall health. In fact, a recent Swedish study found that exercise was the number one contributor to longevity, adding extra years to your life—even if you don’t start exercising until your senior years. But it’s not just about adding years to your life, it’s about adding life to your years. You’ll not only look better when you exercise, you’ll feel sharper, more energetic, and experience a greater sense of well-being.

Physical health benefits of exercise and fitness for older adults

• Exercise helps older adults maintain or lose weight. As metabolism naturally slows with age, maintaining a healthy weight is a challenge. Exercise helps increase metabolism and builds muscle mass, helping to burn more calories. When your body reaches a healthy weight, your overall wellness will improve.
• Exercise reduces the impact of illness and chronic disease. Among the many benefits of exercise for adults over 50 include improved immune function, better heart health and blood pressure, better bone density, and better digestive functioning. People who exercise also have a lowered risk of several chronic conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain cancers.
• Exercise enhances mobility, flexibility, and balance in older adults. Exercise improves your strength, flexibility and posture, which in turn will help with balance, coordination, and reducing the risk of falls. Strength training also helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Mental health benefits of exercise and fitness as you age

• Exercise improves your sleep. Poor sleep is not an inevitable consequence of aging and quality sleep is important for your overall health. Exercise often improves sleep, helping you fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply.
• Exercise boosts mood and self-confidence. Exercise is a huge stress reliever and the endorphins produced can actually help reduce feelings of sadness, depression, or anxiety. Being active and feeling strong naturally helps you feel more self-confident and sure of yourself.
• Exercise is amazingly good for the brain. Activities like Sudoku or crossword puzzles can help keep your brain active, but little comes close to the beneficial effects of exercise on the brain. Exercise benefits brain functions as diverse as multitasking and creativity and can help prevent memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia. Exercise may even help slow the progression of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Committing to a routine of physical activity is one of the healthiest decisions you can make. Before you get moving, though, consider how best to be safe.

• Get medical clearance from your doctor before starting an exercise program, especially if you have a preexisting condition. Ask if there are any activities you should avoid.
• Consider health concerns. Keep in mind how your ongoing health problems affect your workouts. For example, diabetics may need to adjust the timing of medication and meal plans when setting an exercise schedule. Above all, if something feels wrong, such as sharp pain or unusual shortness of breath, simply stop. You may need to scale back or try another activity.
• Start slow. If you haven’t been active in a while, it can be harmful to immediately go “all out.” Instead, build up your exercise program little by little. Try spacing workouts in ten-minute increments twice a day. Or try just one class each week. Prevent injury and discomfort by warming up, cooling down, and keeping water handy.
• Commit to an exercise schedule for at least 3 or 4 weeks so that it becomes habit, and force yourself to stick with it. That will be much easier if you find activities you enjoy.
• Stay motivated by focusing on short-term goals, such as improving your mood and energy levels and reducing stress, rather than goals such as weight loss, which can take longer to achieve.
• Recognize problems. Exercise should never hurt or make you feel lousy. Stop exercising immediately and call your doctor if you feel dizzy or short of breath, develop chest pain or pressure, break out in a cold sweat, or experience pain. Also stop if a joint is red, swollen, or tender to touch. Listen to your body. If you tend to experience pain or discomfort after exercising for a while, try exercising for less time but more frequently throughout the day.
• Experiment with mindfulness. Instead of zoning out when you exercise, try to pay attention to your body. By really focusing on how your body feels as you exercise—the rhythm of your breathing , the way your feet strike the ground, your muscles flexing as you move, for example—you’ll improve your physical condition faster and better help to relieve stress and anxiety.

Staying active is not a science. Just remember that mixing different types of exercise helps both to keep your workouts interesting and improve your overall health. The key is to find activities that you enjoy. Here is an overview of the four building blocks of fitness as you age and how they can help your body.

The 1st building block of fitness as you age: Cardio endurance exercise

• What is it: Uses large muscle groups in rhythmic motions over a period of time. Cardio workouts get your heart pumping and you may even feel a little short of breath. Cardio includes walking, stair climbing, swimming, hiking, cycling, rowing, tennis, and dancing.
• Why it’s good for you: Helps lessen fatigue and shortness of breath. Promotes independence by improving endurance for daily activities such as walking, house cleaning, and errands.

The 2nd building block of fitness as you age: Strength and power training

• What is it: Strength training builds up muscle with repetitive motion using weight or external resistance from body weight, machines, free weights, or elastic bands. Power training is often strength training done at a faster speed to increase power and reaction times.
• Why it’s good for you: Strength training helps prevent loss of bone mass, builds muscle, and improves balance—both important in staying active and avoiding falls. Power training can improve your speed while crossing the street, for example, or prevent falls by enabling you to react quickly if you start to trip or lose balance. Building strength and power will help you stay independent and make day-to-day activities easier such as opening a jar, getting in and out of a car, and lifting objects.

The 3rd building block of fitness as you age: Flexibility

• What is it: Challenges the ability of your body’s joints to move freely through a full range of motion. This can be done through stationary stretches and stretches that involve movement to keep your muscles and joints supple so they are less prone to injury. Yoga is an excellent means of improving flexibility.
• Why it’s good for you: Helps your body stay limber and increases your range of movement for ordinary physical activities such as looking behind while driving, tying your shoes, shampooing your hair, and playing with your grandchildren.

• Walking. Walking is a perfect way to start exercising. It requires no special equipment, aside from a pair of comfortable walking shoes, and can be done anywhere.
• Senior sports or fitness classes. Keeps you motivated while also providing a source of fun, stress relief, and a place to meet friends.
• Water aerobics and water sports. Working out in water is wonderful for seniors because water reduces stress and strain on the body's joints.
• Yoga. Combines a series of poses with breathing. Moving through the poses works on strength, flexibility and balance. Yoga can be adapted to any level.
• Tai Chi and Qi Gong. Martial arts-inspired systems of movement that increase balance and strength. Classes for seniors are often available at your local YMCA or community center.

Even if you are frail or chair-bound, you can still experience the physical and mental benefits of exercise. Chair-bound adults can improve fitness with strength training, flexibility, and cardio activities. If being chair-bound has prevented you from trying exercise in the past, take heart knowing that when you become more physically active, the results will amaze you. Like any exercise program, a chair-bound fitness routine takes a little creativity and personalization to keep it fun.

• Strength: Use free weights (“dumbbells”) to do repetitive sets of lifting. Don’t have weights? Use anything that is weighted and fits in your hand, like soup cans.
• Resistance: Resistance bands are like giant rubber bands designed to give your muscles a good workout when stretched and pulled. Resistance bands can be attached to furniture, a doorknob, or even your chair. Use these for pull-downs, shoulder rotations, and arm and leg-extensions.
• Flexibility: By practicing mindful breathing and slowly stretching, bending, and twisting, you can limber up and improve your range of motion. Some of these exercises can also be done lying down. Ask your doctor,  search online, or see Resources section below for chair-yoga or chair Tai Chi possibilities.
• Endurance: Check out pool-therapy programs designed for wheelchair-bound seniors. Also, wheelchair-training machines make arm-bicycling and rowing possible. If you lack access to special machines or pools, repetitive movements (like rapid leg lifts or sitting pushups) work just as well to raise your heart rate.

Talk to your doctor or physical therapist about chair-bound exercise programs or see Chair Exercises & Limited Mobility Fitness.

If you dread working out, it’s time for a mental makeover. Getting active may feel awkward or unnatural at first, but the longer you stick with a regular exercise routine, the more you’ll come to enjoy it. Once you start reaping the rewards and noticing the changes to the way you feel, you’ll find it easier to stay motivated. In time, you’ll even look forward to your workouts.

Until that point, don’t view exercise as a bothersome task to check off your “to do” list. Look at it as part of your healthy lifestyle, like eating and sleeping well. There are plenty of ways for older adults to make exercise a pleasurable part of everyday life. Start small—even exercising for five or ten minutes a day is better than nothing. You can gradually build up once it’s become habit. Here are some other ways to make exercise part of your lifestyle:

Choose activities and exercises you enjoy

Think about activities that you enjoy and how you can incorporate them into an exercise routine.

• Listen to music while lifting weights.
• Window shop while walking laps at the mall.
• Get competitive while playing tennis.
• Take photographs on a nature hike.
• Meet new people at a yoga class or fitness center.
• Watch a favorite movie or TV show while on the treadmill.
• Instead of chatting with a friend over coffee, chat while walking, stretching, or strength training.
• Walk the golf course instead of using a cart.
• Walk or play fetch with a dog—it can be as good for you as it is for the animal. If you don’t own a dog, offer to take a neighbor’s dog for a walk or volunteer at a pet shelter.
• Go for a run, walk, or cycle when you’re feeling stressed—see how much better you feel afterwards.
• Find an exercise buddy, someone whose company you really enjoy, and try activities you’ve never tried before—you may find something you love. At worst, you would have spent time with a good friend.

Find easy ways to add more physical activity to your day

Being active doesn’t have to be limited to your workout times. There are plenty of ways to become more active as you go about your day.

• Active on the go: Always choose stairs over the elevator, park at the far end of the parking lot when arriving at appointments and meetings, walk down every isle of the grocery store while shopping, practice balancing skills while standing in line, do neck rolls while waiting at a stoplight.
• Active at home: Do a set of wall pushups while waiting for water to boil, vigorously vacuum (and cut time off your housework), tend to the garden, sweep the sidewalk, rake leaves instead of using a leaf blower, lift weights while watching the news, try toe-raises while talking on the phone, do knee bends after sitting for a long period of time.

Focus on the benefits in your daily life

The most rewarding part of beginning a fitness routine is noticing the difference it makes in the rest of your life. Even if you begin exercising with a few simple stretches while seated or a short walk around the block, you’ll notice an improvement in how you feel as you go about your day.

• House cleaning, gardening, shopping, and errands. Want to feel less winded while cleaning or rushing to and from appointments? Doing just 15 to 20 minutes of heart-healthy cardio each day, such as walking, biking, swimming, or water aerobics will help give you the stamina you need.
• Lifting grandchildren, carrying groceries, household chores. Building muscle mass a few times each week through weight lifting, resistance exercises, and weight machines will help give you more strength.
• Crossing the street before the lights change, catching yourself before you fall. Power exercises such as tricep dips, chair stands, or other strength exercises performed quickly, can improve strength, speed, and reaction times.
• Tying shoes, looking behind you while driving, navigating steps. Incorporating basic stretching—even while seated—into your fitness routine will make the most ordinary movements easier. Try yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, or Qi Gong to limber up.

Exercise doesn’t have to break the bank

An exercise plan does not depend on costly gym memberships and fancy exercise equipment. Like the best things in life, staying fit can be completely free. Work out the wallet-friendly way:

• Do neck rolls and light stretching while watching TV
• No weights? Use food cans or water bottles or inexpensive resistance bands
• Rent exercise videos from the library
• Mow the lawn, clear snow, weed
• Climb stairs
• Enjoy a walk in a new park or neighborhood
• Play with your grandkids or a pet

The more you exercise, the more you will reap the benefits, so it’s important to stay motivated when life’s challenges get in the way.

• Keep a log. Writing down your activities in an exercise journal not only holds you accountable, but also is a reminder of your accomplishments.
• Stay inspired. Reading health magazines or watching sports shows can help remind you how great it feels to take care of your body.
• Get support. It’s easier to keep going with support. Consider taking a class or exercising with your spouse or a buddy.
• Exercise safely. Nothing derails an exercise plan like an injury. Use common sense and don’t exercise if you are ill. Wear brightly colored clothing to be visible on the roads. When the weather brings slippery conditions, walk at a mall indoors to prevent falling.
• Don’t feel guilty if you have to skip a day or don’t exercise for as long as normal on another day. Some days you may walk for 30 minutes, another day it may only be for 10. Just remember: something is always better than nothing.

Top 25 At-Home Exercises

Life can get busy, and oftentimes we find ourselves traveling or otherwise unable to get to our preferred health and fitness facility for a workout. ACE Certified Professional Ted Vickey offers these 25 moves to help you stay on track, no matter where you find yourself. Using only your own body weight, these versatile moves can help you create a total-body workout that fits your needs and abilities.

ACE Certified Professionals can also use them to help a wide range of clients. If you’re interested in turning your love of health and fitness into a career, find out more about how to become a Personal Trainer. 

	1. Supermans Who doesn't want to think they have super powers?  Great stretch as well when you picture trying to touch the opposing walls with your fingers and toes. View Exercise »
	2. Push-up The Push-up is an oldie but goodie.  You can modify intensity by changing hand placement. View Exercise »
	3. Contralateral Limb Raises Don’t let the name scare you – this is great for toning those troubling upper body areas. View Exercise »
	4. Bent Knee Push-up A great starting option if you struggle with the correct form using a full Push-Up. View Exercise »
	5. Downward-facing Dog Slow and controlled movement very important – wonderful calf stretch. View Exercise »
	6. Bent-Knee Sit-up / Crunches Most people don’t know how to perform a proper sit-up/crunch – that is until now.  Core Power! View Exercise »
	7. Push-up with Single-leg Raise A great progression from a regular Push-Up but remember to keep proper form. View Exercise »
	8. Front Plank This is harder than it looks!  Your back and abs will love you.  View Exercise »
	9. Side Plank with Bent Knee Great way to add in hips work without the need for any equipment other than your own body weight. View Exercise »
	10. Supine Reverse Crunches Advanced crunch that targets the entire core region.  If you feel pain in your back – STOP. View Exercise »
	11. Cobra This is my “good morning, time to wake up” exercise – great way to get ready for a busy day. View Exercise »
	12. Squat Jumps A bit of heart rate work while working on total body movement. View Exercise »
	13. Forward Lunge If I could only do one leg exercise for the rest of my life, a lunge would be my choice. View Exercise »
	14. Forward Lunge with Arm Drivers Start with the regular lunge and work up to this advanced exercise hitting some core areas. View Exercise »
	15. Glute Activation Lunges Often missed, this Gluteus workout is the MAXIMUS. View Exercise »
	16. Glute Bridge Real people do yoga – and this is a great entry exercise to the power of slow and controlled movements. View Exercise »
	17. Hip Rotations (Push-up Position) I’ve always had problems finding a good hip exercise – do this before any push-up exercises so you can stabilize your body before fatigue. View Exercise »
	18. Side Lunge Advanced in terms of needing to include some movement into what becomes a static pose. View Exercise »
	19. Side Lying Hip Abduction A common mistake is raising the leg too high in this exercise.  Small but effective movement. View Exercise »
	20. Side Lying Hip Adduction Even smaller movement than Abduction but equally important. View Exercise »
	21. Side Plank (Modified) Advanced exercise that brings together a combination of core exercises.  If you feel joint pain, STOP. View Exercise »
	22. Side Plank with Straight Leg Don’t forget to breathe on this exercise – exhale on the exertion. View Exercise »
	23. Single Leg Stand I do this one while brushing my teeth in the morning – some call it crazy, I call it multi-tasking. View Exercise »
	24. Standing Calf Raises - Wall My shins are my weak points, thus finding a great exercise like this to improve that area is important. View Exercise »
	25. Supine Pelvic Tilts May not look like an abdominal exercise, but you will feel the burn after a set of these. View Exercise »

  

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Experts and successful exercisers reveal the top tips and tricks they use to get the most from their fitness routines.

Getting and staying fit can be a challenge. For many of us, it's hard just to get up off the couch. So what's the secret of people who have managed to make exercise a way of life?

1. Be Consistent

Chase Squires is the first to admit that he's no fitness expert. But he is a guy who used to weigh 205 pounds, more than was healthy for his 5'4" frame. "In my vacation pictures in 2002, I looked like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man at the beach," says the 42-year-old Colorado resident. Squires decided enough was enough, cut out fatty food, and started walkingon a treadmill. The pounds came off and soon he was runningmarathons -- not fast, but in the race. He ran his first 50-mile race in October 2003 and completed his first 100-miler a year later. Since then, he's completed several 100-mile, 50-mile, and 50k races.

His secret? "I'm not fast, but I'm consistent," says Squires, who says consistency is his best tip for maintaining a successfulfitness regimen.

"It all started with 20 minutes on a treadmill," he says. "The difference between my success and others who have struggled is that I did it every single day. No exercise programin the world works if you don't do it consistently."

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2. Follow an Effective Exercise Routine

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently surveyed 1,000 ACE-certified personal trainers about the best techniques to get fit. Their top three suggestions:

·         Strength training. Even 20 minutes a day twice a week will help tone the entire body.

·         Interval training. "In its most basic form, interval training might involve walking for two minutes, running for two, and alternating this pattern throughout the duration of a workout," says Cedric Bryant, PhD, FACSM, chief science officer for ACE. "It is an extremely time-efficient and productive way to exercise."

·         Increased cardio/aerobic exercise. Bryant suggests accumulating 60 minutes or more a day of low- to moderate-intensity physical activity, such as walking, running, or dancing.

3. Set Realistic Goals

"Don't strive for perfection or an improbable goal that can't be met," says Kara Thompson, spokesperson for the International Health Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA). "Focus instead on increasing healthy behaviors."

In other words, don't worry if you can't run a 5K just yet. Make it a habit to walk 15 minutes a day, and add time, distance, and intensity from there                                                                               4. Use the Buddy System

Find a friend or relative whom you like and trust who also wants to establish a healthier lifestyle, suggests Thompson. "Encourage one another. Exercise together. Use this as an opportunity to enjoy one another's company and to strengthen the relationship."

5. Make Your Plan Fit Your Life

Too busy to get to the gym? Tennis star Martina Navratilova, health and fitness ambassador for the AARP, knows a thing or two about being busy and staying fit.

Make your plan fit your life, she advises in an article on the AARP web site. "You don't need fancy exercise gear and gyms to get fit."

If you've got floor space, try simple floor exercises to target areas such as the hips and buttocks, legs and thighs, and chest and arms (like push-ups, squats, and lunges). Aim for 10-12 repetitions of each exercise, adding more reps and intensity as you build strength.

6. Be Happy

Be sure to pick an activity you actually enjoy doing, suggests Los Angeles celebrity trainer Sebastien Lagree.

 

"If you hate weights, don't go to the gym. You can lose weightand get in shape with any type of training or activity," he says.

And choose something that is convenient. Rock climbing may be a great workout, but if you live in a city, it's not something you'll be doing every day.

7. Watch the Clock

Your body clock, that is. Try to work out at the time you have the most energy, suggests Jason Theodosakis, MD, exercise physiologist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. If you're a morning person, schedule your fitness activities early in the day; if you perk up as the day goes along, plan your activities in the afternoon or evening.

"Working out while you have the most energy will yield the best results," Theodosakis says.

8. Call In the Pros

Especially if you're first getting started, Theodosakis suggests having a professional assessment to determine what types of exercise you need most.

"For some people, attention to flexibility or to balance and agility, may be more important than resistance training or aerobics," he says. "By getting a professional assessment, you can determine your weakest links and focus on them. This will improve your overall fitness balance."

9. Get Inspired

"Fitness is a state of mind," says fitness professional and life coach Allan Fine of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. One of Fine's tricks to get and stay motivated is to read blogs or web sites that show him how others have been successful. "Who inspires you?" he asks.

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10. Be Patient

Finally, remember that even if you follow all these tips, there will be ups and downs, setbacks and victories, advises Navratilova. Just be patient, and don't give up, she says on the AARP web site: "Hang in there, and you'll see solid results."